This interdisciplinary reader for students and scholars in communications, journalism, anthropology, sociology, and allied disciplines, is based on the idea that media are cultural phenomena worthy of study using the concepts and methods that anthropologists have developed to study indigenous cultures. In sections on histories and debates; concepts and methods; events, stories, and activities; and turning theory into practice, the 30 selections consider such topics as the profanity of the media, news as myth, bearing personal witness to traumatic public events, and how anthropology can enrich journalistic practice. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)